The Sahara Forest Project Signs Agreement to Build a Pilot Plant in Qatar

We’ve written about the Sahara Forest Project before, so we’re excited to report that the organization behind this ambitious endeavor has signed an agreement to build its first pilot plant in Doha, Qatar. The agreement for the project, which aims to revitalize the desert with seawater-based greenhouses, concentrated solar power (CSP) for heat & electricity, evaporative hedges and ponds for reducing brine to dry salts, algae cultivation facilities, vegetated outdoor areas and halophyte cultivation units, was signed today by CEO Khalifa A. Al-Sowaidi of QAFCO, CEO Jørgen Ole Haslestad of Yara International and CEO Joakim Hauge of The Sahara Forest Project AS. The pilot plant will cost approximately 5.3 million USD and the plan is to have the plant fully operational by December 2012. Read more about the Sahara Forest Project here on Inhabitat.